The global health and economic crisis has brought into sharp focus the challenges faced by women and families at the margins. Now, perhaps more than ever before, Texas Women’s Foundation sees the impact of deep systemic disparities affecting low income women and families. They were hit first and hardest by the crisis and face the longest and most difficult road ahead.
Texas Women’s Foundation is dedicated to helping meet their needs, now and in the months ahead, through the Resilience Fund. In April, the Foundation raised and distributed $320,768 in grants to 18 nonprofits, and more help is needed in the months to come.
The following two organizations received grants in April:
Hopeful Solutions
Empowering single mothers to maintain their sobriety and self-sufficiency while living with their children, Hopeful Solutions requested a grant to support acute and emerging needs during the COVID-19 crisis: financial assistance for rent and utilities, hot spots and cleaning and hygiene products. Clients are women from Southern Dallas (75241) who are primarily employed in non-essential jobs (hospitality, call centers), experiencing reduced or eliminated hours and facing school closures and restrictions on day care services. The grant also funds virtual mental health and addiction counseling to support women who need urgent transitional services during circumstances that prohibit traditional recovery program meetings.
Wesley-Rankin Community Center
A longtime partner serving West Dallas, Wesley-Rankin serves a diverse population living in one of the lowest income zip codes in Dallas (75212). The agency offers educational, nutrition and leadership development services to children, adults and seniors in a dignified, culturally sensitive fashion. Emerging needs are identified by the Adult Academy Leadership Council, primarily composed of women from the community, which guides organizational leadership on resource development. Texas Women’s Foundation’s funds will empower Wesley-Rankin to meet unique needs during the COVID-19 crisis for women, girls and their families who are immigrants, from communities of color and West Dallas neighborhoods of La Bajada and Los Altos, an historically disinvested community.
Lisa de la Garza, Texas Women’s Foundation’s vice president of programs, said, “We see so many who were hit hard by this crisis and face a long and difficult road ahead. We thank those who have contributed to the Resilience Fund, and we ask for others to support us. Join us so that our community’s most vulnerable women, girls and families can go from surviving to thriving. The need is both immediate and long-term, so that we can develop strong communities.”
TXWF will continue to raise funds and distribute them in the upcoming months, and asks for support. To contribute to the Resilience Fund, visit https://www.txwf.co/donate-now?erid=1443239&trid=33744fcf-e765-4cd7-b615-b8ff349d1d42
To read the Resilience Report online, visit https://www.txwf.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/resilience-fund-report_april.pdf
For more information about Texas Women’s Foundation, visit www.txwf.org, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn or Instagram or donate now.